THIS WEEK IN HISTORY, 1914: A Norwegian ship collided with a Canadian Pacific steamship, the worst maritime disaster in Canadian history

John Mackie, Vancouver Sun05.24.2014

The Territorial Band of the Salvation Army of Canada that was decimated in the Empress of Ireland disaster on May 29, 1914, where 1012 people were killed. Ran in June 5, 1914 Vancouver Sun.

Front page of The Vancouver Sun on May 29, 1914, the day the Canadian Pacific ship The Empress of Ireland sank in the St. Lawrence River. One thousand and twelve people died, making it Canada’s worst maritime disaster.

About 2:30 a.m. on May 29, 1914, the Canadian Pacific steamship Empress of Ireland collided with the Norwegian collier (coal ship) The Storstad on the St. Lawrence River near Rimouski, Quebec.

Fourteen minutes later, the Empress of Ireland sank, killing 1,012 people. A century later, it remains the worst maritime disaster in Canadian history.

“So deep was the gash in the stricken liner’s side inflicted by the sharp prow of the heavy-laden collier, and so fast the inrush of the sea, that although the first rescue steamer reached the scene within 30 minutes after the meeting of the two vessels, the liner had already gone down,” The Vancouver Sun reported.

“Only floating wreckage and a few lifeboats and rafts from the steamer, buoying up less than a third of those who had set sail on her, were to be found. The rest had sunk with the liner, had been crushed to death in the Storstad’s impact with her, or had been forced from exhaustion and exposure in the ice-chilled northern waters to loose their hold on bits of wreckage that had supported them and had drowned.”

The Empress of Ireland had left Quebec City at 4:30 p.m. May 28 with 1,477 people aboard, 1,057 passengers and 420 crew. It was bound for Liverpool.

A website about the disaster (www.empress2014.ca/) said that the Empress of Ireland spotted the Storstad when it was about eight miles away, and took a course it thought would provide plenty of distance between the ships.

A thick fog rolled in and Captain Kendall of the Empress ordered “full astern” to stop the ship. Once it was stopped, the Empress released two long blasts of the ship’s whistle to warn the Storstad, which responded with a long whistle blast of its own.

But the Storstad soon emerged from the fog only 100 metres from the Empress. The Empress was ordered to go full speed ahead to avoid a collision, but the Storstad rammed into the middle of the ship. The strong current quickly separated the ships, and the Empress began to take on water.

Most passengers were asleep when the ships collided and woke to find water coming into their cabins. Only 10 minutes after the collision, the ship flipped onto its starboard side. It slid underwater four minutes later, “forming two huge waves.”

The Sun ran a list of the passengers on the front page, and whether they had survived. The initial report had only one survivor from British Columbia and 13 missing, including three members of the Barbour family of Silverton. Mrs. Sebena Barbour and her daughter Evelyn died, but the other daughter, Florence, was rescued.

Later reports noted that John Fowler of Vancouver also survived. Fowler was awake and looking out a porthole when the collision occurred, and scrambled out of his cabin, where he helped a woman with a baby and her six-year-old daughter put on life jackets.

“He assisted them on deck, and then in the panic lost them,” The Sun reported. “He did not know whether they were saved or not.

“He then went to a second saloon deck and there met a Miss Wilmot, who could not get along the sloping deck. He tied a rope to her and hauled her up the steps. They held onto the rope until the ship went down. He was carried down to an awful depth, and fought his way upward again.”

Fowler was in the frigid water for 20 minutes before he was rescued and brought ashore in Rimouski. There he met Miss Wilmot, who thanked him for saving her life.

A few days after the disaster, The Sun ran a photo of a Salvation Army band that had been on board the Empress of Ireland, and had lost 27 of its 34 members.

One of the members of the Sally Ann band was John Delamont, who was on the ship with his wife Serapine, daughter Lizzie and sons Leonard and Arthur.

When the vessel started to sink, Leonard took off his life-jacket and placed it on his mother. Leonard died, but the rest of the family survived.

Arthur Delamont would go to found the Kitsilano Boys Band. Sun reader Olive McEwan phoned in to recount that Arthur would salute Leonard at the end of every concert by playing the last note in his brother’s honour.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Share

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY, 1914: A Norwegian ship collided with a Canadian Pacific steamship, the worst maritime disaster in Canadian history

A Radio-Canada reporter has been arrested for alleged criminal harassment while pursuing the subject of a story. According to Radio-Canada, reporter Antoine Trépanier was arrested Tuesday night by Gatineau police. He was released on a promise to appear in court. Trépanier was called by Gatineau police Tuesday evening and an officer requested that he come […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.